The anticipation working up to WhiskyFest New York was almost too much to bear: the stock market was lower than a fat man in a leaky rubber boat; the Big 3 of Detroit were gurgling like a Reliant K carburetor on cheap gas and a pinched float valve; and AIG was looking like Snidely Whiplash caught with his pants down, exposing solid gold boxer shorts ripped up the middle. The VIP ticket tacked to my office bulletin board seemed to glow in the dark as I worked long nights getting the forecasts in and assembling new presentations for ecommerce targets looking for a positive sign among the retail gloom. Knowing I’d soon be among some of the champions of single-malt, I kept my threshold low in the days prior, sipping Balvenie Doublewood 10 yr. and Talisker 10 yr., 2 great standbys from opposite ends of the spectrum that never fail to lighten my spirits when the world around me threatens too closely. We’d just gotten through a mother of an election, electing a candidate of hope and change and sending Snowjob Squareglasses back to her frozen tundra to supervise Nanook’s new day job at the Walmart in Wasilla. Dammit, it was time to taste.
Since each one of the Knuckleheads had backed out of the event, it was up to me to carry this one alone, and bring back to the fold new ideas for new tastings. Had to leave the camera home and go Old School, with just my pen and notebook in hand. But more importantly, a new strategy: stay focused, with no attempt to sample every table on hand, and not ending the night somewhere on W. 44th St trying to figure out which direction Penn Station is. Instead of going broad, I went deep, and sampled each expression from select tables, and it paid off handsomely.
First stop, and the most fun, was at Compass Box. Charlie turned me onto Compass Box a few years ago and I enjoyed the Hedonism, Asyla and Eleuthra expressions I had: they turned me around from single-malt snobbery and helped me appreciate a real artisan craft of blending. Since the crowd was relatively light, I had time to work with Bill Doyle from Charmer Sunbelt to taste the entire line on the table. In between, I chatted with John Glaser, the artisan/distiller/entrepreneur behind the Compass Box expressions. John and I met once before, and I was always impressed by not only his product, but his unique customer focus. This was truly a treat and a great place to begin the evening, as Bill laid out, in terms of intensity and taste, the right lineup for my palette. Here’s what I found:
Oak Cross: sourced from 3 single-malts from Teaninich, Brora and Carron and aged in first-fill American oak with French oak heads (hence the “Oak Cross”).
· Nose: sweet, doughy, shortbread, oak, raisins, light smoke
· Palette: Slight oil, smooth, complex
· Finish: medium sweet, some peat, sweet raisins, rounded, finishing light
· Verdict: A nice start, a good whisky to have often, light in touch. Warm days, early fall, late spring
From there we moved to Hedonism, a 100% Scotch Grain whisky. Again, Compass Box surprises with its mellow blend of grains from around Scotland, and while not the biggest fan, John’s Hedonism blend takes the edge off the normally bracing grain.
· Nose: Sharp, oaky, some salt, hint of vanilla
· Palette: salt (not unpleasant), thin, some cream
· Finish: sweet and short
· Verdict: your bourbon friends will like this one; will go well with ice.
However, Hedonism Maximus, the reserve version of the former was fantastic. Using 29 and 42 year old whiskies in the blend, Maximus comes on beautifully rich and reserved, not overwhelming. Everything was more alive, what the fact sheet calls “deeper” and “sweeter”. I loved it.
· Nose: Sweet, sugar, sharp grains and oak
· Palette: Full, oily and coating, sweet and complex
· Finish: astringent, bracing, lingering with oak in the back of the tongue
· Verdict: get a bottle of this for special occasions. The label alone is worth the price.
We then came to what I consider their signature expression (although John would argue), one of my favorites: Peat Monster, an Islay blend of Coal Ila, 15% Ardmore and 2% Laphroig. Outstanding. Rich, smoky and peaty, it will warm you just looking at the label.
· Nose: creamy, smoke, peat, phenolic and medicinal: damn straight good whisky, laddie.
· Palette: billowy, smooth, sweet on the edge of the tongue
· Finish: big, balanced, smooth, some chocolate
· Verdict: the brilliance is in the balance, it has everything you like about Islay and a touch of the mainland to keep it from falling into the bog. Splash of water, put on the kilt and read by the fire.
But wait! The Peat Monster Reserve occupied the raised center throne of the table for good reason. Available only in magnum size, the Reserve is a limited bottling in honor of CB’s 5th Anniversary. Whiskies from Port Askaig on Islay combined together with Ardmore and a single malt from the village of Brora (the back story of Clynelish), mean this malt will probably be in short supply and soon added to the ranks of the Ghost of Whiskies Past.
· Nose: Wow: the chocolate right off the top, oak, dark woods of ancient forests, musk of Hobbit hovels
· Palette: Chocolate again! Followed by the smoke, peat, mossy near the bog.
· Finish: BBB (big, bold and balanced), no overwhelming knockout, envelopes the back of the throat with a smoky, peaty blanket.
· Verdict: Trust me, cash in your bailout check and get a bottle before it’s too late. John Glaser is all about balance, and this scotch is how his signature is written.